Chapter 987
A New Idiom: Mao Renfeng's Trip to Xuzhou Brings a Series of Good Fortune
Even before the Liaoshen Campaign had concluded, insightful members of the Nationalist government had begun to become pessimistic about the war situation.
But most people are only obsessed with theoretical strength.
For example, the Nationalist army still had a crushing advantage in medical records; for example, the Nationalist army had a large number of American-equipped divisions; for example, the Nationalist army consisted entirely of elite soldiers, while the opposing side was full of peasants...
In short, as long as their paper strength has not been reversed, even with a pile of failures, their inherent arrogance prevents them from ever facing these failures squarely.
Just like the current Bureau of Investigation and Statistics—before Zhang Anping explained the strategic significance of the Jiawang Uprising, these "veteran" officers would only think of tens of thousands of ragtag troops…
But at this moment, they were all suffocating.
On the Xuzhou-Bengbu battlefield, the only advantage they could rely on—the superior number of troops—was lost!
Mao Renfeng was the first to realize that at this moment, the most important thing for the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was to take action. Only by taking action could they show the higher-ups that the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was not just sitting idly by.
"Immediately dispatch elite forces from headquarters to reinforce Xuzhou!"
As he stood up to speak, he felt as if he were a pillar of strength in the face of adversity.
"The Xuzhou Suppression Headquarters' Inspection Office must be strengthened; we cannot allow the Jiawang incident to repeat itself!"
"in addition……"
Mao Renfeng took a deep breath and looked at Zhang Anping:
"Deputy Director Zhang, since you have repeatedly applied to go to Beiping in person, the current situation is critical. Deputy Director Zhang, you must make achievements during your trip to Beiping and not tarnish the reputation of our Security Bureau!"
He compromised!
In fact, once Zhang Anping revealed the significance behind the Jiawang Uprising, it meant that Mao Renfeng had no other choice.
He could certainly continue to stubbornly prevent Zhang Anping from going to Beiping, but given that the Xuzhou General Headquarters for the suppression of the Jiawang Uprising had not given any advance warning and that the numerical advantage on the Xuzhou-Bengbu battlefield was about to be lost, his actions would be interpreted arbitrarily—at that point, being dismissed from his post would be the least of his worries.
He had no choice but to compromise.
Mao Renfeng's compromise at this time was not unexpected by the others in the meeting room, but Zhang Anping, as the victor, also did not feel the joy of victory. His face was gloomy, and his eyes were fixed on the map, as if he had not heard Mao Renfeng's words.
He seemed to be immersed in the "pain" of Jiawang.
But at that moment, what Zhang Anping was really thinking was:
After the Jiawang Uprising, could our People's Liberation Army quickly penetrate and intercept the Seventh Army Corps' retreat route?
If Liu Jingfu of Xuzhou were to change his mind and launch a surprise attack, would our blocking forces be able to withstand the enemy's counterattack?
If we can't stop them, it will be difficult to annihilate the entire Seventh Army Corps!
At this moment, if Lao Xu and Lao Zheng were to make a move...
Zhang Anping's heart burned with excitement—Zheng Yaoxian's division-level special forces and Xu Baichuan's army-level traffic police brigade were both in Xuzhou at this moment. If they were to take action now…
Thinking of this, Zhang Anping looked up from the map: "Director, you must go to Xuzhou in person!"
Mao Renfeng, whose heart was churning with mixed feelings, was taken aback by Zhang Anping's sudden words and decided to go to Xuzhou himself.
"The Huaihai Campaign was of paramount importance to the Party and the nation!"
Zhang Anping said in a deep voice: "Since ancient times, to defend the Yangtze River, one must defend the Huai River. If our main force in Xuzhou and Bengbu can hold the Huai River, the Communist army's offensive will not have a decisive result. Although the Communist army will gain a temporary advantage, our army still has the North China Group and the Central China Group. At that time, as long as our army can rest and reorganize, it can rely on the Huaihai defense line to support the two major groups in Central China and North China, and it can still launch an offensive."
"The Battle of Xuzhou and Bengbu must not be lost!"
"Therefore, you must personally go to Xuzhou to oversee the situation and absolutely prevent the Jiawang incident from happening again!"
Although Zhang Anping's tone, which left no room for doubt, greatly displeased Mao Renfeng, these words also made Mao Renfeng think deeply.
The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (BIS) has considerable influence in Xuzhou and Bengbu!
Zheng Yaoxian's special forces are legitimate Secret Service armed forces. Although Xu Baichuan's traffic police brigade is nominally unrelated to the Secret Service, it is full of veteran agents and has deep ties with the Secret Service. In a sense, his decision to go to Xuzhou to oversee the Secret Service system at this time is more proper than Zhang Anping's decision to go to Beiping in person.
In other words, this trip to Xuzhou is Mao Renfeng's chance to make a big splash!
But would Zhang Anping really have such good intentions?
After deep thought, Mao Renfeng came to the following conclusion:
At this point, Zhang Anping was only concerned with the interests of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, and his suggestions were entirely out of public interest!
The answer is simple: regarding the Jiawang incident, it's entirely possible that Liu Jingfu, the commander of the Xuzhou Suppression Headquarters, might pin the blame on the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.
After all, those who work in intelligence are sometimes really good at taking the blame.
In this situation, considering the interests of the Bureau of Secrecy, Zhang Anping's suggestion is understandable!
Thinking of this, Mao Renfeng immediately said:
"Brother Anping, at this critical juncture for the Party and the nation, we brothers should indeed put aside past grievances and prioritize the interests of the Party and the nation!"
"It was I, Mao, who was petty and narrow-minded. I apologize to you here!"
Mao Renfeng was also the kind of person who could go all out. Since Zhang Anping had shown his loyalty and magnanimity at this time, Mao Renfeng should also be more open-minded.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Anping was deeply moved and said, "Director Mao, once the war is over, I, Zhang, will offer you a toast to apologize for all the unpleasantness we had before!"
Only the "idle people" in the conference room looked at each other in bewilderment. Although they knew that no matter how nicely these two talked, the conflict between the two factions meant that they could not have a good time drinking together, the situation still made them feel uncomfortable, as if they had swallowed a fly.
I! Damn!
If you two want to fight, we'll stand by your side, cheer you on, and encourage you. But then you turn around and act like you've sworn brothers. What do we look like then?!
After the meeting, everyone hurriedly left the conference room to begin preparations for the aid missions to Xuzhou and Beihai.
After Zheng Yi followed Zhang Anping to the office, he looked at Zhang Anping with a complex mix of emotions, including surprise, incomprehension, confusion, and astonishment.
She now has a misconception:
Zhang Anping was just playing her for a fool—he wasn't an undercover agent at all!
Regardless of how many suspicious points exist about Zhang Anping, even if he has tacitly admitted to being an undercover agent, the fact that he "ordered" Mao Renfeng to go to Xuzhou at today's meeting is enough to deepen his image as a loyal subject of the Party and the State.
Please, you're an undercover agent! At this time, you're kicking the director of the Security Bureau to Xuzhou. Is this what an undercover agent should do?
Seeing Zheng Yi's complicated expression, Zhang Anping smiled leisurely:
"Some people only make things worse."
Will it only... make things worse?
Zheng Yi recalled how Mao Renfeng had repeatedly bounced in Zhang Anping's palm, and couldn't help but feel anticipation:
What kind of trouble will Mao Renfeng cause?
……
At this time, the No. 2 intelligence network in Xuzhou was not in Zhang Anping's hands.
Therefore, Zhang Anping could only do his best to provide support.
In fact, when the comrades on the underground front planned the brilliant Jiawang Uprising, they had already made preparations to use Zheng Yaoxian. If the enemy in Xuzhou were to attack Jiawang at the first opportunity, Zheng Yaoxian's special weapons could then be used to launch an uprising, forcing the enemy reinforcements in Xuzhou to retreat after their rear was set on fire.
However, things took an unexpected turn. Faced with the Jiawang Uprising, Liu Jingfu's first reaction was to retreat rather than rush to the rescue, which rendered Zheng Yaoxian's side's actions meaningless.
Therefore, the comrades in charge of the covert operations asked Zheng Yaoxian to continue to hide and wait for the right opportunity.
But at that very moment, a shocking piece of news arrived:
Mao Renfeng, director of the Bureau of Secrecy, is about to personally visit Xuzhou!
When the news arrived, the comrades in command on the covert front hesitated. Mao Renfeng was truly remarkable. He had risen and fallen under the suppression of the notorious spy Zhang Shihao, and now he could still keep Zhang Shihao in control of the entire Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. If this man personally went to Xuzhou, what about Zheng Yaoxian's special forces...
Should we have Comrade Zheng Yaoxian stage an uprising before Mao Renfeng arrives?
The commander was faced with a difficult problem: he worried that Mao Renfeng's arrival would alert him to the presence of our troops in the special forces, which would then cause unnecessary trouble.
But just then, a telegram was handed to him.
It was sent by Comrade Li.
The telegram roughly reads: I know you are hesitating now. Why not entrust the decision to Comrade Zheng Yaoxian? Comrade Zheng Yaoxian has been infiltrating the enemy camp for more than ten years. He is experienced and reliable. You should fully trust his judgment.
This suggestion caught the eye of the commander, who immediately went to the special forces' base and chose to meet with Zheng Yaoxian directly.
In other places, this comrade with rich experience in covert operations would certainly not have been so reckless, but in Xuzhou, he really was "reckless".
why?
The Xuzhou Anti-Japanese General Headquarters of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics has far too many of its own comrades. Under the guise of one team with two names, it is equivalent to the Xuzhou Station of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, which is the Xuzhou underground party committee of our party. The party headquarters of the Party Communications Bureau next door is in a similar situation. The power of the two major intelligence agencies in Xuzhou is entirely the cover of our underground party. So why should he be cautious?
Moreover, even the first-level instructors have been deployed to the special forces. Once they change their uniforms, they are a unit of our army capable of fighting tough battles!
Upon hearing the news brought by this comrade's visit, Zheng Yaoxian immediately realized whose handiwork it was.
Zhang Anping!
Mao Renfeng's arrival in Xuzhou seemed to be aimed at uniting the Xuzhou Bureau of Investigation and Statistics into a cohesive force and strengthening surveillance over various military units. However, Zheng Yaoxian, who had already confirmed with Zhang Anping that he had been "forced into rebellion," immediately realized another layer of meaning behind it.
Anping was worried that the enemy might break through our defenses during the encirclement and annihilation of the Seventh Army Corps, so he sent Mao Renfeng so that I could revolt under the pretext of being forced into rebellion at any time!
On the other hand, what can Mao Renfeng do now that he's in Xuzhou?
If he wants to get things done, he has to rely on the Xuzhou Suppression Headquarters' Inspection Office, which is his own faction. But how could Zheng Yaoxian not know what the Inspection Office is like?
When Mao Renfeng came to Xuzhou, he was nothing more than a fool who had been stuffed into an information bag!
So Zheng Yaoxian said, "Let him come, it's no big deal!"
"I'm ready to revolt at any time. Even if he discovers a problem, I can launch an uprising immediately without any impact."
These confident words, however, made the comrade feel uneasy. On the covert front, the worst thing to do is to think that you have a sure chance of winning.
"Comrade Yaoxian, don't forget that you have a traffic police force twice the size of yours right next to you!"
"Although our comrades have infiltrated the Traffic Police Corps quite a bit, Xu Baichuan of the Traffic Police Corps is ultimately a veteran spy. If he cooperates with Mao Renfeng, I'm worried that you will be plotted against without anyone noticing."
"If all else fails, let's start an uprising before Mao Renfeng arrives. That will make Liu Jingfu, who is already easily frightened, even more panicked and conservative."
Liu Jingfu's decision to have the Xuzhou army retreat into a humiliating state after the Jiawang Uprising became a laughing stock.
Upon hearing this from his superior, Zheng Yaoxian pondered for a moment and felt it was time to tell Xu Baichuan what was going on—this comrade in charge of the covert operations had obtained almost all the information about the Xuzhou infiltrated network.
But the exception is the Traffic Police Corps.
This was also to play it safe – but even so, this comrade was still taken aback by the current situation when he first took over.
In the words of a certain Second Division Commander:
We've never fought such a lucrative battle in our entire lives!
The two deputy commanders of the Northwest Army, my own comrades;
The only armed "special armed force" of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, a special force that was once highly vigilant against by comrades of the underground party, is now composed of our comrades from top to bottom;
The Xuzhou Suppression Headquarters' Inspection Office and the Xuzhou Party Branch of the Party Affairs Bureau, which should have been the most feared, were filled with their own comrades...
How could this battle have resulted in such a huge financial gain?!
What he didn't know was that even so, his superiors hadn't revealed Xu Baichuan's identity for security reasons!
The decision of when to reveal Xu Baichuan's identity to this comrade rested with Zheng Yaoxian.
At this moment, Zheng Yaoxian felt the time was ripe, and faced with his superior's concerns, he chose to tell him everything:
"There's something I think it's time to tell you—"
"Xu Baichuan from the Traffic Police Corps is now one of our comrades."
"Not only that, we also have a comrade who is extremely good at political work who has been hiding in the traffic police brigade. Thanks to his efforts, the entire traffic police brigade is no less capable than the special forces under my command."
It's numb, it's numb.
This comrade was stunned by the truth revealed by Zheng Yaoxian.
A traffic police unit with military-level organization, boasting all-American weaponry and even a tank regiment, and its commander is... yes, yes, yes...
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
The Traffic Police Corps was formerly known as the Loyal Salvation Army.
Zhang Shih-hao, the current deputy director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, whom our Party's comrades on the covert front are extremely wary of, is recognized as having absolute control over the unit, even though he does not hold a position in the unit.
Xu Baichuan was also his good friend!
The reason why the traffic police corps was able to regroup from its scattered state and possess a large number of American-made weapons, tank regiments, heavy artillery regiments, etc., was because of Zhang Anping's support behind the scenes.
Now you're telling me that Xu Baichuan is a member of our Party?
Furthermore, since Zheng Yaoxian wasn't worried about Mao Renfeng's arrival, then...
Upon realizing this truth, the comrade's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Use with caution, use with caution..."
"No wonder Comrade Li instructed me that special weapons must be used with extreme caution. After the Jiawang Uprising, special weapons should absolutely not be used unless absolutely necessary..."
Clearly, this is why Comrade Li entrusted Zheng Yaoxian with the power to reveal Xu Baichuan's identity, because if the Special Forces and Traffic Police Corps were to act abruptly, it could easily affect Zhang Anping.
"Ahem," Zheng Yaoxian coughed lightly, "This matter... this matter cannot be discussed."
The superior nodded slowly: "I understand, I understand—Mao Renfeng's arrival is indeed a good thing, a really good thing!"
Zheng Yaoxian nodded in deep agreement; it was indeed a good thing.
The superiors, however, thought of something else:
After the Jiawang Uprising, Liu Jingfu ordered all the troops in Xuzhou to retreat into hiding. Many people ridiculed Liu Jingfu as an incompetent general, but now it seems that Liu Jingfu has actually hit the mark by accident!
If Xuzhou were to send a large army to aid Jiawang, then Xuzhou might really be doomed!
……
Mao Renfeng's visit to Xuzhou is indeed a good thing.
After arriving in Xuzhou, Mao Renfeng was indeed going to get things done. For example, he strengthened the surveillance of various troops and took charge of the Xuzhou station, intensifying the counter-espionage work in Xuzhou.
But these are all secondary!
Because Mao Renfeng prioritized another matter:
Seize power!
Seize Zheng Yaoxian's power!
He wanted to take this opportunity to capture Zheng Yaoxian, who possessed special weapons, and to seize the special weapons that Zhang Anping had meticulously crafted for him.
While Mao Renfeng was overseeing the operation and seizing power, the battle on the Xuzhou battlefield was proceeding as Zhang Anping had previously described at the bureau meeting...
Unable to retreat westward into Xuzhou, the 7th Army Corps had to cross the Grand Canal with its main force and retreat towards Nianzhuangwei. However, just as they were crossing the river, the 63rd Army, which was serving as the rearguard, was besieged in Yaowan Town.
At this time, the Nationalist government had realized that Xuzhou, a strategically important location, was indefensible. Therefore, it promoted Liu Jingfu in name only but demoted him in reality, and ordered Xuzhou to send troops to rescue the Seventh Army Corps trapped in Nianzhuangwei.
Xuzhou was about to rush to the aid of the Seventh Army Corps, which our army naturally had to stop, and thus the Xudong Blocking Battle broke out.
On November 12, the Xudong blocking battle broke out in full force, and the battle became fierce from the very beginning.
At this moment, Mao Renfeng saw an opportunity to completely take Zheng Yaoxian down from the Special Weapons!
He then suggested to Du, who had taken over command from Liu Jingfu, that special forces be allowed to join the relief team.
Faced with Mao Renfeng's initiative to volunteer for the mission, Du naturally did not refuse—thus, the special forces set off from Xuzhou and marched in a mighty force toward the blocking battlefield in Xudong.
But on the unseen "battlefield," Mao Renfeng was well prepared:
If the special forces' attack under Zheng Yaoxian's command fails, Zheng Yaoxian will be immediately arrested on the grounds of poor command, thus eliminating the last independent force within the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. (End of Chapter)